FINAL: West Virginia rolls late vs. K-State

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Kansas State, having won three consecutive games in the series, returned to the Coliseum for a Big 12 matchup against the Mountaineers. This time was different, however, thanks to Juwan Staten’s career-high 35 points and a late surge that lifted the Mountaineers to an 81-71 win.

Recapping the in-game updates:

PREGAME NOTE
West Virginia is seeking atonement for its 78-56 beatdown in Manhattan. Kevin Noreen’s assessment of what went wrong for the Mountaineers offensively on Jan. 18: “We were making one pass and then shooting the ball, instead of making them pay for helping so much.”

PREGAME NOTE
Bob Huggins appreciates the way the Wildcats’ help defense is seemingly always there after initial defenders are beaten off the bounce. However, with such a commitment to help eventually comes another opening. “When you help that much and support as much as they support, ball reversal is going to hurt you—that’s anybody,” Huggins said.

PREGAME NOTE
Noreen on Thomas Gipson, who scored 20 against WVU in the first meeting and went off for 24 against Texas in the ensuing game: “You have to make sure you take away his right shoulder because he’s left-handed. You want to keep the ball out of his hands, but he’s going to get it eventually, and when he does get it you want to make sure you’re sitting on that right shoulder.” … Though Gipson isn’t an elite athlete, Huggins notes that he plays wide with sturdy base. “Post play is about space and angles, and he’s probably got the best understanding of how to use space and how to use angles as anybody in our league.”

KANSAS STATE 17, WEST VIRGINIA 17 (11:52 first half)
Freshman Marcus Foster, who looks like another under-recruited gem for K-State, has seven points in the first eight minutes. The Wildcats are shooting 62 percent thanks to three layups, while WVU is at 47 percent. Huggins opened with Dibo in the lineup but he’s out after an 0-of-2 start and Nate Adrian sank a 3 off the bench.

WEST VIRGINIA 27, KANSAS STATE 22 (6:55 first half)
Who says Eron Harris and Terry Henderson can’t prosper simultaneously? Each has nine points as WVU gets rolling in the first half. Henderson punctuated the most exciting play so far, flushing home an alley-oop from Juwan Staten. The Mountaineers hold a 6-0 edge in points off turnovers.

WEST VIRGINIA 31, KANSAS STATE 27 (3:40 first half)
Shane Southwell commits his second foul at the 4:31 mark—a futile reach-in near halfcourt that sends Harris to the line. K-State has committed nine fouls to WVU’s five. The Wildcats hold a narrow 16-15 edge in rebounding, led by Gipson’s five.

WEST VIRGINIA 39, KANSAS STATE 31 (halftime)
The Wildcats ended the half with five players committing two fouls, including an offensive rebounding foul with 2.8 seconds left. That sent Brandon Watkins to the line on the opposite end, where the big freshman missed both. The Mountaineers were 12-of-16 from the foul line while K-State was 1-of-4, but if college officials have taught us anything, it’s that fouls tend to even out, part of that whole game-management philosophy that drives me nuts.

WEST VIRGINIA 39, KANSAS STATE 31 (halftime)
Three WVU players reached double-figure scoring in the first half—Staten with 12, Harris and Henderson with 11 each. Recall that two weeks ago in Manhattan, the Mountaineers scored 56 total. … WVU holds a 20-19 edge in rebounding, led by Henderson’s four. … After a hot start, K-State made just 4-of-17 shots to close the half, dipping its shooting percentage to 42 percent.

WEST VIRGINIA 45, KANSAS STATE 42 (15:51 second half)
The WVU lead momentarily grew to 10 points after a Staten 3-pointer from the left wing, but Kansas State sinks 5-of-6 shots to open the second half and makes this one tight. Will be interesting to see how WVU responds out of the media timeout—particularly on the defensive end.

WEST VIRGINIA 62, KANSAS STATE 59 (7:07 second half)
After Kansas State leveled the game at 53-all, Staten’s basket started a 7-0 Mountaineers run. But a Foster alley-oop dunk closed it to a three-point margin heading into the media timeout. …. Staten has 27 points, thanks to 12-of-15 free-throw shooting as he’s beating K-State off the dribble almost anytime he chooses. He also has five assists and only one turnover.

WEST VIRGINIA 68, KANSAS STATE 67 (3:01 second half)
Huggins calls timeout after K-State goes on 6-0 run. The Wildcats has made their last six shots, virtually all from within three feet. Foster has 22 and Gipson 19 for the visitors, who have made it a game despite 7-of-17 foul shooting. Of course their 75-percent shooting from the floor mitigates that somewhat. (By the way, Henderson and Harris are currently scoreless and 0-of-5 in the second half.)

WEST VIRGINIA 75, KANSAS STATE 68 (1:05 second half)
Huge sequence for WVU as Dibo hits a 3 to make it 71-67, and then Henderson steals a pass on K-State’s ensuing possession and makes both free throws with 1:55 left. … Later, Henderson and Dibo combine on a sideline trap to force Southwell into a turnover.

WEST VIRGINIA 81, KANSAS STATE 71 (final)
As if Staten’s day could get any better, he gets a runout dunk with 22 seconds left and finishes with 35 points. He was 17-of-20 at the foul line and took a postgame swing through the student section. More postgame updates forthcoming after we talk with coaches and players,

Allan Taylor

Allan Taylor joined MetroNews in August 2012, following 18 years of newspaper, magazine and multimedia work as an SEC columnist, sports editor, assistant sports editor, managing editor, news reporter and media consultant.

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Comments

leroy j gibbs

Hope we don't need the Heimlich maneuver tonight

February 1, 2014 at 3:42 pm |

joe

you choke

February 1, 2014 at 5:13 pm |

leroy j gibbs

Choke on this

February 1, 2014 at 7:23 pm |

tw eagle

WVU got five open scholarships for this BB team . . . the guys we got now aren't "barn burners" but they are learning to play well together . . . I think they will get much better in the next couple of years . . .KEEP WORKING . . .

I'd like to see Huggins turn back the clock next season . . . open games in the coliseum with a full court zone press . . . fill the coliseum & vibrate the dust from the "rafters" with the stomping & cheering . . . it might take a few games , but I think these new fans can handle standing, stomping, and cheering for 10 or more continuous minutes . . .
68-67 Let's Go Mountaineerrss ! ! !

February 1, 2014 at 3:39 pm |

Ducks In A Row

We stretch out a lead, then the ref's even the score again. Where are these ref's from, the B1G?

February 1, 2014 at 3:24 pm |

mad hatter

it's always those darn refs.. they did it to us in fb too,,, that's why we didn't win more games.

February 1, 2014 at 5:30 pm |

leroy j gibbs

Juwan is the new da'sean!

February 1, 2014 at 3:23 pm |

Country Roads

At the second half 11 minute break the officials of have taken our lead away: in favor up K state true fans what can we do ? get our own official in the game ....

February 1, 2014 at 3:19 pm |

Mountain Navy.

When I coached ball I always told the team get a big enough lead that the coaches cannot take the game away from you.

The officials undoubtedly went and looked at the stat sheets to see how to balance out calling the plays for the second half lookout Team ... If we are not up by 12 or 15 points late in the game the officials will take it away from us...

February 1, 2014 at 2:55 pm |

tw eagle

not too much chatter . . . coliseum must be full . . .

February 1, 2014 at 2:50 pm |

mad hatter

refs never give us the benefit, i think they hate morgantown.

i take it all back, dibo hasn't a clue about defense, and i don't think he'll ever learn , or more importantly want to learn.

if we can a few more players, huggins, we should set dibo until he decides he wants to join his team mates in playing def.

February 1, 2014 at 2:40 pm |

sput

if it were not for Dibo we lose this game , he is the only one that helped Staten at all in the second half

February 1, 2014 at 4:57 pm |

Bill

I agree, Brown and Harris are the greater liability, neither play defense and both play out of control.

February 1, 2014 at 9:51 pm |

mad hatter

dibo is a liability at this pt

February 1, 2014 at 5:31 pm |

tw eagle

there's absolutely 0 finesse in this K St team . . . they just try to bulldoze right through you . . . guess Mounties weren't ready for that in Kansas . . .

February 1, 2014 at 2:31 pm |

tw eagle

if there weren't so many TO's WVU could roll right over these K St brawlers . . . they're TIRED . . .

February 1, 2014 at 2:16 pm |

Country Roads

Hope we get a fair shake from the officials..

February 1, 2014 at 2:08 pm |

tw eagle

geesh , they're letting them play . . . on the road our big men would have 3 fouls each by now . . .started a little tight , getting into the flow of game now. . .

February 1, 2014 at 2:01 pm |

Billy

Okay, i am ready, been drinking kool-aid since 7 am. Got to go to bathroom now.